Steam-engine.



W. R. SANDERS.

STEAM ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED DEG. 13, 1909.

Patented-June 4, 1912.

m .NNDQR WILLIAM ROBERT SANDERS, OF SUNSET, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALFT0 JOHN W.

I HARVEY, OF SUNSET, TEXAS.

STEAM-ENGINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM R. SANDERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sunset, in the county of Montague and State of Texas, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to engines of the reciprocating type andmore particularly to such as are designed for locomotive engines, thepurpose being to simplify the construction, to overcome the necessityfor the use of balance blocks on the drive wheels, to equalizeapplication of the driving force and to devise novel connecting meansfor operating the valve.

The invention consists of the novel features, details of constructionand combination of parts, which hereinafter will be more particularlyset forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out inthe appended claim.

Referring to the drawing, forming a part of the application, Figure 1 isa side view of a locomotive engine embodying the invention, the cylinderand valve chest being in section. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a truckshowing the engine cylinders and crank drive axles. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section of the engine cylinder, chest and valves, thepistons being in full lines.

. Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription, and indicated in all the views of the drawing, by the uponeach side of the locomotive comprises in effect two engines having atandem arrangement and for convenience and economy of construction thetwo engines comprise a single cylinder 3, which is provided at a centralpoint with a partition 4 constituting a head common to the inner ends ofboth engine cylinders. It is to be understood that the partition andengine cylinders may be of any construction. A piston 5 is arranged tooperate in each cylinder and its piston rod 6 is connected with a crosshead in the usual Specification of Letters Patent.

AppIicat'ion filed December 13, 1909.

Patented J une 4, 1912.

Serial No. 532,966.

manner, said cross head in turn being connected by means of a pitmanwith the rod or pitman connecting the crank portions of the crankdriving axles. Each cylinder is provided at opposite ends with ports 7which communicate with a steam chest 8, the latter being common to bothcylinders and connected with the steam boiler in the usual manner. Slidevalves 9 are arranged to operate in the steam chest 8 and control theports 7, said slide valves being of the usual D-form and spanningexhaust ports 10. The slide valves 9 are connected for simultaneousmovement in opposite directions so as to uncover the outer ports or theinner ports of both cylinders. The pistons 5 travel in oppositedirections, that is they move either inward or outward at the same timeand are connected with'the respective drive axles to cause movement ofthe locomotive engine in the desired direction.

A lever 11 is mounted midway of its ends within the steam chest and apitman 12 connects one end of the lever withone of the slide valves 9. Arod 13 connects the other slide yalve with a valve operating rod 14,which 1s reclprocated in the usual way. A rod 15 connects the valveoperating rod 14 with the opposite end of the lever. The rod 14 operatesthrough a stuffing box in one end of the valve chest and is mounted in aguide 17 arranged within the chest. A connection 16 fixed to the innerportion of the rod 14 has the rods 13 and 15 pivotally connectedthereto. A coupling 18 connects the parts of the operating rod 14 whichis preferably made in sections. In the operation of the engine the rod14 is reciprocated and by reason of its direct connectlon with one ofthe valves 9 imparts a corresponding movement to said valve, whereas theother valve is operated from the rod 14 through the connections 12, 11and 15, hence both valves are operated synchronously but in oppositedirections. When the outer ports 7 are uncovered to admit live steaminto the outer ends of the cylinders the inner ports are covered andcommunication is established between them and the exhaust ports and thisoperation is alternated so as to cause the pistons to reciprocate .intheir respective cylinders in opposition to each other.

It is to be understood that the crank portions near one end of therespective crank axles have an opposite arrangement to the crankportions near the opposite ends of said axles and since the engines havea central arrangement with reference to the sets of drive axles thecrank portions of one set of drive axles extend in an opposite directionto the corresponding crank portions of the other set of drive axles. Thearrangement of the crank portions of the drive axles and the engines aswell as the connecting means results in the utilization of the forcedeveloped by the engines for driving the several axles in the samedirection, either to move the locomotive forward or to drive the samebackward. The opposite arrangement of the crank portions of the driveaxles Wholly obviates the necessity for providing the drive Wheels. withbalance blocks and also insures an equalization of the propelling force,with the result that the strain is uni.- formly distributed and theengine caused to run smoothly.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation Will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains, and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention, together With the device whichI now consider to be the embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that the device changes may be made when desired as areWithin the scope of the claim appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is

An engine comprising two cylinders having a tandem arrangement andseparated by means of a partition, each of the said cylin- 4 ders havingterminal ports, pistons arranged in the cylinders, a chest common toboth cylinders, slide valves forthe ports arranged Within the chest, alever, a guide member arranged within the chest adjacent one end 45thereof, an operating rod extending within the chest and mounted in thesaid guide a member, a rod connecting one of the said f valves to oneend of the said lever, a second rod'disposed below the said operatingrod 50 and connecting the other of the said valves to the said guide andoperating rod, a pitman arranged above the said operating rod andconnecting the opposite end of the lever with the said guide member, anda connec-' 5 5 'tion secured to the inner end of the said operating rodsubstantially as and for the purpose described. p

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

IVILLIAM ROBERT SANDERS. Witnesses:

J. WV. HARVEY,

shown is merely illustrative, and that such D. B. BENSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. I

